Bruce Schneier: China cyberwar rhetoric risks dangerous implications

Bruce Schneier: China cyberwar rhetoric risks dangerous implications

Date: Apr 09, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO -- According to security industry luminary Bruce Schneier, escalating
global tension with China over what many refer to as cyberespionage -- or even cyberwar --
poses a real threat to U.S. interests, but using highly charged terminology risks evoking the wrong
types of responses.

"My real fear here is less [about] the attacks from China and more [about] the increase in
rhetoric on both sides that's fueling the cyberwar arms race,"
Schneier said. "We're in a very dangerous time right now."

In a conversation with SearchSecurity at the 2013 RSA Conference, Schneier, chief
technology security officer with London-based BT Counterpane, sought to put the Chinese
cybersecurity threat in the proper context. He warned that fear and ignorance about China's
activities will change government policy, fostering an increased militarization of cyberspace, an
escalating cyber-arms race, and ultimately a loss of privacy and freedom for U.S. citizens.

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